Metro to sell land near stop

About 30 D.C. and Maryland residents living near the station attended Thursday’s board meeting, hoping to convince the system’s leadership that the planned housing is not transit-friendly.

Opponents said the proposed development would endanger pedestrians walking to the station, inconvenience disabled passengers, cause traffic accidents and prevent Metro from expanding the station.

“The stop will be less attractive and less inviting,” said Dave Paris, who lives about two miles from the station in Maryland. “I think the development will endanger pedestrians, and it is not attractive to the business community.”

Before Metro can sell the property to EYA, a Bethesda development company, the project plans must be approved by the Federal Transit Administration and the District’s Office of Planning. EYA plans 85 town houses with two-car garages near the station. Metro is permitted under its charter and federal law to sell surplus property to developers as long as the resulting housing is designed to increase transit ridership.

Before approving the sale, Metro’s board instructed system staff to encourage D.C. planners to require EYA to move a planned drop-off area for handicapped riders closer to the station’s elevator and to make several changes that would increase pedestrian safety.

“This will make the development better,” said Gordon Linton, who represents Montgomery County on Metro’s board. “We have to make sure the development is geared toward transit.”

Residents attending Thursday’s meeting, who booed loudly after the board’s vote, found no solace in the proposed changes.

“It is an empty promise,” said D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Sarah Green, whose district includes the rail station. “Why should the District’s planning office listen? This is silly.”

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com